Burlington Electric Department - Burlington, Vermont
50 episodes
2 days ago
The City of Burlington, Vermont's goal is to reduce, and eventually eliminate, fossil fuel usage. In this podcast series, Burlington's Director of Sustainability Jennifer Green and her guests will be sharing ways we can all reduce our energy usage for heating, driving, and everything else we plug in. All while sourcing our entire energy supply from renewables. We will be talking with your neighbors about what steps they’ve taken on the path to Net Zero Energy. We’ll also chat with City and Burlington Electric Department employees about the technology behind this mission as well as rebates and programs that can help start you on your path.
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The City of Burlington, Vermont's goal is to reduce, and eventually eliminate, fossil fuel usage. In this podcast series, Burlington's Director of Sustainability Jennifer Green and her guests will be sharing ways we can all reduce our energy usage for heating, driving, and everything else we plug in. All while sourcing our entire energy supply from renewables. We will be talking with your neighbors about what steps they’ve taken on the path to Net Zero Energy. We’ll also chat with City and Burlington Electric Department employees about the technology behind this mission as well as rebates and programs that can help start you on your path.
Darren Springer, Burlington Electric Department General Manager, discusses the state of electric vehicle incentives at the Federal level and how BED is responding with enhanced rebates for our customers.
How are today's schoolchildren dealing with news surrounding our climate? Aziza Malik, 5th grade teacher at Champlain Elementary and Teach of the Year 2024, and Jen Cirillo, Director of Professional Learning at Shelburne Farms talk about the strategies and realities of guiding students through this topic.
Christina Erickson, Executive Director with Local Motion, joins us to talk about the 25-year history of the organization, the Bike Ferry and the bridge over the Winooski River, their state-wide advocacy work, advocating for Safe Routes to School Program including a call for more crossing guards, and more.
Zoe Richards, Director and Founder of Burlington Wildways. Zoe is a Wildlife Biologist and currently chairs Burlington's Conservation Board. Wildways is a partnership that cares for the wild places and paths of Burlington, Vermont.
Burlington City Arborist V.J. Comai talks with us about the Emerald Ash Borer, the history, variety, and age of Burlington's canopy, lessons learned from the 1998 ice storm, and plans for Main Street and Church treet.
Nour El-Naboulsi shares the exciting - and at one point harrowing - story of converting a shipping container into the home of Village Hydroponics. The all-electric grow operation is based in the Intervale and currently supports local families from Congo, Rwanda, Nepal, and elsewhere. Nour also discusses the business model and their plans going forward.
Kevin Chu, a Vermonter from birth, is now Executive Director of the Vermont Futures Project, an independent non-partisan organization working toward encourages long-term economic growth for Vermont. Kevin talks about how they provide useful data and recommendations to achieve this goal.
Jen Holliday is the Director of Public Policy & Communications for Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD). Jen joins us today to talk about the great strides being made in policy and in practice with our waste and recycling programs.
Christine McGowan is the Forest Products Program Director with Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. whose mission is to support Vermont's Forestry industry now and for the next generations. Christine talks about the state of Vermont's forest today and throughout history, McNeil Generating Station's relationship with the forest economy, the new Vermont Forest Future Strategic Road Map, and more.
Ace McArleton, CEO and co-founder of New Frameworks. New Frameworks prioritizes sequestering carbon with prefabricated straw panels, ADU housing, design and consulting services, and improving and updating the existing housing stock to provide healthier efficient homes.
As Senior Project Manager with Freeman French Freeman, Brian Leet is overseeing the design and build of the new Burlington High School ad Technical Center. Brian shares details on the energy saving considerations, the welcoming design and layout, and the timeline for its completion.
Burlington Electric Department is ready to help get power back online after a large outage wherever it may happen. Through the Mutual Aid program, we have sent crews all over Vermont and even to the Carolinas, Florida, and even Central America. BED's own Bob Risley and Mike Flora shares stories and discuss why it's so important to be a member of the greater community.
Travis St. Hilaire is the Supervisor for Customer Solutions at VGS. With a technical background in heat pump technology and installations, Travis is now sharing his passion for this equipment with Burlingtonians who are ready to make the switch from natural gas to net zero energy to heat their homes and water.
Mona Tolba is a shining example of community leadership through her work with the Vermont Language Justice Project and on the Just Transition Subcommittee of the Vermont Climate Council. Mona's goal is to raise the voice of community members who seldom are heard.
BED General Manager Darren Springer and VGS CEO & President Neale Lunderville join Jennifer Green for a special video Net Zero Energy Podcast to discuss the efforts and the collaboration between these two utilities. You can also watch this episode on YouTube. https://youtu.be/3gD4mjV-tG8
Sarah Camille Wilson is the Executive Director at Old Spokes Home in the Old North End of Burlington. Sarah fills us in on their programs that helps make biking accessible to everybody, their Fall Fundo, their new six-week class Mechanics 101, BED's newly increased e-bike rebates, and their annual Kids Bike Bonanza in May when they give away 150 bikes.
Bill Parizo, Director of Power System at Burlington Electric Department, shares stories of his 42 years with BED. We go all the way back to the Moran plant and switching from coal to wood chips, the conception and construction of McNeil, BED's new SCADA system, and plenty more. Bill's passionate for his work and the mission of BED are undeniable.
Kara Alnasrawi is the Director of Business and Workforce Development for the city of Burlington as well as Director of the Church Street Marketplace. We spoke about the possibilities for the Memorial block, Burlington's commercial sector's support for our NZE goals, mixed-use zoning, and the Great Streets program.
Jon Clark is the Power Production Technician at Winooski One Hydro Plant. Jon talks about the history and operations of Winooski One Hydro, the fish elevator, how to start a career in power production, and the effects of extreme weather on the health and operation of the plant.
The City of Burlington, Vermont's goal is to reduce, and eventually eliminate, fossil fuel usage. In this podcast series, Burlington's Director of Sustainability Jennifer Green and her guests will be sharing ways we can all reduce our energy usage for heating, driving, and everything else we plug in. All while sourcing our entire energy supply from renewables. We will be talking with your neighbors about what steps they’ve taken on the path to Net Zero Energy. We’ll also chat with City and Burlington Electric Department employees about the technology behind this mission as well as rebates and programs that can help start you on your path.
